In Myst, the player starts by using a special book to travel to Myst Island. There, the player uses other special books to travel to different worlds called "Ages". Solving puzzles on different Ages helps the player learn more about Myst Island and the people who live there. The player can make choices that change the ending of the game.

When Myst was released, it became very popular. Critics loved Myst because it felt like a real world. Myst was the best-selling computer game until The Sims was released in 2002. Myst helped the CD-ROM get more popular when the CD-ROM was new. Because Myst was so popular, four sequels were made, and three Mystnovels were written.